St Matthew Passion - Olivier Theatre

St Matthew Passion

The Olivier National Theatre will be welcoming a particularly unique and stand-out production to its stage in September as “St Matthew Passion” begins a brief run under the direction of Jonathan Miller. Not only will the very nature of Bach’s famous show make it stand-out from other shows at the Olivier this year such as “13” and “The Kitchen”, it also stands out from previous versions of the show. This is because Miller will be ensuring the performance is a stripped down version that does away with traditional styles and instead offers up casually-dress singers and soloists that mix in with the orchestra.

There are two parts to the dramatic story of “St Matthew’s Passion” and these are both told during the performance, with the events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ portrayed. So in part one we will witness the last supper and his arrest whilst in part two we will witness the trial, crucifixion and then his burial. Bach penned the piece in 1727 as a musical version of “Passions”, with the Gospel of Matthew coming to life on stage and eventually being declared a stand out piece of classic music.

The addition of Jonathan Miller as director will be another way in which London theatre audiences will feel that they have struck gold. The renowned director of theatre and opera has been behind a wealth of shows over the years and these have served to make him a well known name. His credits include a recording of “St Matthew Passion” for the BBC, “The Cherry Orchard” at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in 2007, plus shows on Broadway and in the West End. He has also directed opera like “Pelléas et Mélisande” at New York’s Metropolitan Opera (twice in the last decade) and “La Bohème” at the Cincinnati Opera.

Those with Theatre Tickets will also witness the work of the Southank Sinfonia in the production, with soloists that include Sally Bruce-Payne, Ruby Hughes, Benjamin Hulett, James Laing, Andrew Staples and Mark Stone and with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama providing the chorus. Paul Goodwin conducts.

“St Matthew Passion” runs at the Olivier National Theatre from Monday 19th September 2011 (previews from Saturday 17th September 2011) to Sunday 2nd October 2011.